Classic Meatloaf

"The secrets to this meatloaf are fresh, very finely diced vegetables that give it moisture and flavor--and a light touch in mixing together the ingredients. This hearty meatloaf is the perfect meal for cool fall and winter evenings, served with mashed potatoes and simple mushroom gravy."

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the carrot, celery, onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic in a food processor, and pulse until very finely chopped, almost to a puree. Place the minced vegetables into a large mixing bowl, and mix in ground chuck, Worcestershire sauce, and egg. Add Italian herbs, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix gently with a wooden spoon to incorporate vegetables and egg into the meat. Pour in bread crumbs. With your hand, gently mix in the crumbs with your fingertips just until combined, about 1 minute.

Form the meatloaf into a ball. Pour olive oil into a baking dish and place the ball of meat into the dish. Shape the ball into a loaf, about 4 inches high by 6 inches long.

Bake in the preheated oven just until the meatloaf is hot, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and hot sauce. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven. With the back of a spoon, smooth the glaze onto the top of the meatloaf, then pull a little bit of glaze down the sides of the meatloaf with the back of the spoon.

Return meatloaf to oven, and bake until the loaf is no longer pink inside and the glaze has baked onto the loaf, 30 to 35 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loaf should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 25, 2012

I increased the italian herbs (I assumed that to mean italian seasoning--I used my own homemade italian seasoning) to two teaspoons and I used homemade croutons (day old bread, brushed with EVOO and garlic powder, cut into 1 inch pieces and baked until crispy, then cooled) that I ground down in the food processor. Those were the only changes I made. Ginormous meat loaf. It fit in my Perfect Meat Loaf pan, but just barely, with a quarter inch at the top. Mine did take almost two hours to bake, taken out the last half hour to pour over the glaze. This was one of the better meat loaves I've ever made. Very flavorful, quite filling. I served homemade biscuits and Cheesy Vegetable Medley with this. Out of that big meatloaf, just under half remains--my oldest boy ate two pieces and my husband ate three! We all really liked it. The rest will be used for sandwiches in lunches tomorrow. I'll make this meat loaf again.

It's unfortunate to have to rate this pretty darned good meatloaf so poorly, but the fact that the cooking time is SO way off can neither be excused nor ignored. While he does mention that the meatloaf should reach a temperature of 160 degrees, a professional chef certainly ought to know that a 2-1/2 pound meatloaf would never cook through in 45 minutes, and this error could result in a very disappointing outcome for the inexperienced cook who trusts the recipe. The error should be corrected, as the recipe itself deserves a better rating - and the cooks who try this should be able to rely on the directions. As for the meatloaf itself, the "almost puree" of vegetables was novel for me, and I liked it. Not only are you getting some extra nutrients, but all these vegetables also contribute moisture and great flavor to the meatloaf. I'm not a fan of "Italian seasoning," so I just threw in a handful of fresh herbs - parsley, sage, thyme and oregano. I omitted the cayenne. I also skipped the glaze, which neither of us cares for. Cooking time will vary given the size and shape of your meatloaf, but my 2 pound loaf was cooked just right at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. (AR, if you correct the time and temp on this recipe, please raise my rating to four stars)

My husband loved this meatloaf. My advice is to also watch the video because he gives you some extra tips on how to make it moist and tender. But whoever said there is alot of chopping involved is right. But meatloaf is easy to prepare ahead of time. While your chopping, chop extra and freeze it so that next time you will have it chopped already.

I did not have all the vegetables so used what I had available at the time (carrots, celery & onion). I did use a food processor & think the finely chopped veg.s (even just the few I used) positively added to the flavor and moisture. I don't think the fine chopping can be achieved by hand. I watched the video & noted forming the loaf in a dish rather than I had been accustomed to using a bread loaf pan. I doubt I'll ever use a loaf pan again for meatloaf. I liked how this cooked in a larger casserole dish. I gave this 4 stars only because the sauce was too "mustardy" taste. We like a sweeter sauce so I just added more ketchup & brown sugar.

Classic Meatloaf Haiku: "So close to five stars! We weren't fond of the glaze. Otherwise, awesome!" Absolutely adored this meatloaf, but the glaze was just a tad on the sweet side. I halved the recipe for 1 lb. beef, omitted mushrooms (didn't have any, but I just increased the other veggies - pureed veggies in meatloaf = brilliant!!) and baked mine at 350 for an hour. Seriously moist, magnificent meatloaf that I'll gladly make again, but I'd reduce, or drop the brown sugar all together next time.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.